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May 02, 2017

Walk Away Renee

What better theme song for this post than this classic by the Left Banke? In fact, this is so big that not only will I also give you this version of the same tune by the great Four Tops, I will hold back from my planned post about Ellicott City's most disgusting, trichanosis-inducing sandwich shop to bring it to you!

So unless you have been living under a rock, or are just plain out of it, you will know that HCPSS Superintendent Renee Foose resigned (retired?) today. And appointed by the Board of Education to serve as Interim Superintendent is former St. Mary's County and West Virginia Superintendent of Schools Michael Martirano. You can see the statement right here. Amazing, isn't it, that in her retirement address to the world, that Foose chose not to have any words of thanks for the Howard County community? Could it be that any rational community leader stood in strong, staunch opposition to her heavyhanded, mean, abusive management style during her time as HCPSS Superintendent? And what public official supported her? Because every single one I know, on every level of government, from the Governor and Congressional delegation on down, of both parties, were strongly against this person and regretful of her continued presence in office? Even in departure, Renee Foose was saying things that just aren't so.

The temptation is strong, strong indeed, to lay out the many shortcomings of the Foose Superintendency. And to relive that moment when it all changed-- when the HCPSS leadership changed from a "CEO and Board of Directors" model to what it was until the 2016 elections. And here's hoping that the Interim Superintendent will bring that back. Checks and balances are an essential part of public administration and an environment that lacks that can not serve the people well for very long.

But, instead, I believe I will share just one more song. This one from my favorite musical, "How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying". Because that's the song that went though my head every single time some silliness happened with Renee Foose, Linda Wise, Bev Davis, and the whole lot of Foosamaniacs.

As I know I have written on these pages in the past, the HCPSS went from becoming an entity that served the HCPSS community, to one that avoided litigation and controversy at every turn. And, of course, the only thing that this approach was successful in was-- bringing controversy and litigation. Ultimately, between the Superintendent and the Board of Education itself.

And so this, sadly, became the Foose Miscalculation: that Howard County residents were going to be OK with having their public officials not do the right thing. That it was OK to not share with a family information about their daughter's health that may have led to her suicide. That it was OK to not share information about health issues in schools. That it was OK to sweep under the rug racist incidents. That it was OK to not hire a Diversity Coordinator. That it was OK to doubletalk the County Executive and County Council. And so much more.

What Renee Foose counted on, sadly, was on Howard County not being a vigilant, perceptive community where the education of its children is concerned. And when you build a house of cards upon falsehoods and deception-- well, those houses don't last long. People find out, they talk to each other, they compare notes, they get together, and things happen.

The HCPSS is going to find an incredibly well-qualified person to be the new Superintendent. The Board will find someone who cares about education and who will consider it unethical and a breach of professional conduct to attempt to deceive any segment of the community they have agreed to serve. This remains a destination of choice for virtually any job-seeker and I'm personally excited about the prospect of a true visionary taking the helm of the local schools.

Meanwhile, we in this community owe ourselves a well-deserved pat on the back. We all had each others' back on this one and refused to be intimidated, impressed, or moved. It took a lot of misinformation and terrible incidents for us to get to that place but when we did, the power of a Howard County United was a sight to behold.

And it's a sight we need to see more often. More on that in a future post.